Caraway Pepper Sauteed Sauerkraut

Caraway Pepper Sauteed Sauerkraut is my latest food obsession. Ever since making it one night I have been serving it at literally every meal – OK not breakfast – yet! That tangy flavor of the pickled kraut warmed to soothing and lightly browned perfection – some edges toasted to a crispy bronzed color. This side dish is the perfect accent to just about any dish. I pile this stuff on top of salads, soup, toast, bagels, sandwiches, wraps and more. It’s my new fave thing, and I hope you try it.

No, I don’t make my own kraut. It’s one of those things that I leave up to the kraut experts and cheerfully obtain at a store. Plus even those large kraut glass jars can be relatively cheap – so it is a win win for my time and budget. I once saw a kraut recipe that took ten weeks to ferment. Pickled kraut is not a snappy recipe!

So yes, use store bought kraut for this recipe – or you kraut experts out there can make your own and impress us all.

You can use a variety of accents for your sautéed kraut. My favorite is simple: toasted caraway seeds with plentiful dashes of fine black pepper and a spoonful of horseradish. Totally easy, very addictive…

1. Add the caraway seeds to a dry pan and toast them for about a minute or until they start to pop a bit. Remove and set aside.
2. Add the safflower oil to that pan and let heat. Then add in the horseradish and mix around a bit. Quickly add the sauerkraut so the horseradish does’t burn in the hot oil. Stir it around a bit, then just let it sit for about 2 minutes and toast/heat in the sizzling pan. Reduce heat to medium if it gets too sizzly.
3. Add the fine black pepper and caraway seeds over top the kraut and do a quick flip of the kraut. Add more pepper to the other side. Add in the optional cashews to lightly toast too.
4. Finish with a splash of apple cider vinegar for extra tart kraut – or simply remove from pan and serve warm.

Tip: those little crispy edges some of the bits get are my favorite part – so make sure the pan is hot enough to achieve those!

Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, profile photo and other personal information you make public on Facebook (e.g., school, work, current city, age) will appear with your comment. Learn More.